GETTING ON THE RIGHT TRACK

Since the past decade or so, interest in football among the youth skyrocketed with the Premier League, La Liga and the Champions League being the focal point of attention. But even before that, Bangladesh was always true to the FIFA World Cup spirit. No matter where you'd go, you would see flags of countries the people supported during the World Cup. What if it all changed and instead of different flags everywhere, we'd see just one flag – the Red & Green? This week, we entertain the idea of Bangladesh reaching the FIFA World Cup in Qatar 2022.
Bangladesh has loads of potential when it comes to football. Being involved in the massive underground football fever from 2007 to 2012, I saw real show-stoppers of our generation who could take it to the next level with proper guidance. These are passionate young men who were doing what they loved doing. Scoring from a free-kick, dribbling past six or seven players, even scoring directly from corners; it was all there. We all dreamed that we could take Bangladesh places if we carried on. Unfortunately, it all died down once playgrounds were taken over and there was no space for our dreams to turn into reality. UG football is an untapped gold-mine. If proper steps are taken, we too can reach the world stage of football.

– Rumman R Kalam, Sub-editor, SHOUT

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